FW email: Obviously MMY wasn’t paying attention when GD said that stuff.
Probably out running errands.
---In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, <dhamiltony...@yahoo.com> wrote :
In TM we say “Jai Guru Dev” a lot;
but, what did Guru Dev Swami Brahmananda Saraswati (Maharishi’s teacher) have
to say
about morality and behavior? Let us look at this for a bit.
Let us look more at what Maharishi’s teacher had to say about character and
behavior...
Of morality Guru Dev evidently is saying,
That our
Spiritual in morality is judging in discernment how we take care of ourselves
and others in either enhancing spiritual wellbeing or not.
..Swami Brahmananda Saraswati (Maharishi Mahesh Yogi’s teacher) says:
“Dhanàrjana has said,
[Sanskrit:] akçtvà parasantàpaü, àgatvà khalamandiram | anullaïghya
satàm vartmaü yadalpamapi tad bahu ||
This means, not harming others, not associating with bad persons, not plunging
the àtman in entanglements, and whatever small amount we earn will be plenty.
If you make trouble for others while earning your money, that wealth will
remain behind, but the harm that you have given to the person will carry along
with your subtle body. Therefore, don't act such that you carry along a baggage
of sin with you.
The meaning of àgatvà khalamandiram is this Þ if you associate with base
people, your intellect (buddhi) gets spoiled, and once your intellect is
spoiled, a fall is certain.
[The phrase] buddhinà÷àt praõasyati Þ Direct association with base objects
is much more precipitous. So going to the home of the wicked for the purpose of
making money is forbidden.
The meaning of anullaïghya satàm vartmaü is thisÞthat path which is in
accord with the Vedas and ֈstras given by good people should never be
violated.
If a situation arises in your daily dealings where you have to come into
contact with a base person, then you should approach him just like you go to
the toilet — do the job and leave. Nobody lingers in the toilet for long. If
you discipline your intellect in this way, then there is no doubt of harm
through association with the low. A pure mind goes near Paramàtmà, and the
impure mind wanders through various types of emotional states.”
---In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, <dhamiltony...@yahoo.com> wrote :
Of moral integrity, Maharishi’s teacher’s teachings about moral character..
Teaching #50,
"For all kinds of progress, both in this world and the next, keep the mind
pure, and it is essential to increase the purity of the mind to remain pure.
Therefore you must keep the company of good people while foregoing the company
of the bad. Always study the scriptures; take care to maintain a pure diet;
perform Bhagavàn's bhajan and worship, as well as repetition of mantras;
practice truth and non-injury (ahimsà), and the other precepts of good
conduct; you must always keep yourself within proper bounds." -Guru Dev Swami
Brahmananda Saraswati
---In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, <dhamiltony...@yahoo.com> wrote :
"A man learns from the company he keeps. As one's company is good or evil, so
such things will be learned. It is a notable fact that on seeing his
companions' behavior, a man does likewise; whether he is aware of it at all or
not, he nevertheless acts accordingly. So the point is that man's actions and
thoughts accord with the company he keeps. Therefore, if someone falls in with
a bad crowd, then his actions and thoughts will be corrupted; moreover, those
with whom he comes into contact will also sink. Hence, one should strive to
associate with good company." -Guru Dev, SBS
Guru Dev Swami Brahmananda Saraswati reflecting,
You should understand that if someone is of poor character, he is not a [real]
devotee, and is just putting on a show to cheat people. Save yourself from such
deceitful people, and save innocent pious people from them.
..
As a matter of principle, one should reject those deserving rejection and
honor those deserving honor. If unworthy people are honored, then their number
will increase and their stench will spoil society. -SBS
---In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, <dhamiltony...@yahoo.com> wrote :
Consideration of bad spiritual morality and bad character in behavior runs
throughout Brahmananda Saraswati’s discourses. Like discourses #17, 19, 22, 33,
50 and throughout, morality by what enhances spirituality or does not as a
litmus.
Of bad morality and bad character different people have dealt with their
feelings around behavior displayed in the communities ofTM differently. There
evidently was some good, bad, and ugly in it.
Maharishi’s teacher counselled practically in his spiritual discourses on how
to deal with bad morality and bad character. Communities continue now within TM
and folks around TM evidently have practically taken a range of disposition
about behavior as they see it. Not unlike what we are learning about how people
dealt with the behavior of sexual harassment, abuse and exploitation in the
Harvey Weinstein & that company culture example.
---In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, <dhamiltony...@yahoo.com> wrote :
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi’s teacher, (Guru Dev)Swami Brahmananda Saraswati was
both nuanced and practical in his talks about this subject of discernment and
spiritual morality. He taught of character and morality too as they relate to
human spiritual evolution. Once you get in to the discourses and find his voice
in them the teaching is practical spirituality told with a sense of humor too.
Teaching #19
The false man can get no peace even if he is as rich as Kubera (God of Wealth)
himself..
Because of the absence of dharma in education, people's ability to
discriminate between do's and don'ts has weakened. People think that whatever
they are doing is correct. The belief, "I'll go to hell if I sin," has almost
vanished. Because of this, falsehood has exploded in society nowadays. People
seem to think that the meaning of life is to just attain sensory pleasures.
Further, people have become unconcerned about the means by which they obtain
the wealth necessary to have these sensory pleasures. Even so, it is certain
(niścita) that engaging in wrong dealings for the purpose of earning money will
never result in peace.
Lack of good company (satsaïg) has increased characterlessness. Nowadays
people do not believe they can manage without resorting to dishonesty
(beãmanã), and they have no faith in the future or in Vi÷vambhara.64 Have faith
in Paramàtmà, and conduct your affairs honestly. By doing so, you will feel
satisfied in this life, and satisfaction is the true form of happiness. As it
is said, santoùa paramaü sukham.65 A liar cannot be peaceful in this life even
if he is as rich as Kubera. He will always be doubtful and his heart will burn
[anxiously]. Thus he will not be happy in this world, and even in the other
world, he will be ruined.
---In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, <dhamiltony...@yahoo.com> wrote :
What is Conscionable?
Those voices recorded on all sides of the Rajneeshpuram documentary are such
studies in dynamic of trust: from a trusting ‘benefit of doubt’ to extending
trust, to violating trust. Bad character in trust evidently is consequently
hurtful spiritually as it happens.
Teaching #22
“Honor those who deserve honor, disdain those who deserve disdain.
Mingling with characterless people is like listening to the Gãtagovinda or
Sårsàgar from a whore. If you drink water from the Ganges, take it from where
the stream is clean; don't drink Ganges water flowing from a gutter. If a
teacher is of good character, then listen to him. If you follow the words of a
characterless person, it only serves to magnify your own lack of character.
The character of a Bhagavàn devotee must be exceedingly good. You should
understand that if someone is of poor character, he is not a [real] devotee,
and is just putting on a show to cheat people. Save yourself from such
deceitful people, and save innocent pious people from them.
Only he who is endowed with character is fit to be respected. A sweetmeat
(laóóå) made of bad ghee will be crooked and bad; but when made of pure ghee,
its shape will be good. If somebody declares that he is spreading devotional
teachings of Bhagavàn, then he should have an impeccable character. Only then
will people know that through devotion to Bhagavàn (the Transcendent), all past
sins can be destroyed and present problems can be overcome.
As a matter of principle, one should reject those deserving rejection and
honor those deserving honor. If unworthy people are honored, then their number
will increase and their stench will spoil society.” -Swami Brahmananda
Saraswati, Maharishi’s teacher.
Of Spiritual morality and ethical behavior,
inside Swami Brahmananda Saraswati's discourses the importance of moral
behavior and the company we keep is very much a thread that runs through his
satsanga. SBS groups together the study of spiritual works, cultivating
transcendence (meditation practices) and also behavior that does not impugn
the spiritual subtle system.
The discourses are short talks given as practical spirituality. They are
erudite and grounded with folk sense of countryside humor (mid-20th Century).
For the discourses of Swami Brahmanada Saraswati find:
http://www.lulu.com/shop/lb-shriver-and-translation-by-cynthia-ann-humes/the-sweet-teachings-of-the-blessed-sankaracarya-swami-brahmananda-saraswati/paperback/product-21350609.html
http://www.lulu.com/shop/lb-shriver-and-translation-by-cynthia-ann-humes/the-sweet-teachings-of-the-blessed-sankaracarya-swami-brahmananda-saraswati/paperback/product-21350609.html
[ email reply..
This has nothing to do with being 'judgmental.'
Just about everyone associated with the IAA knows that 'minding one's own
business' has to do with how we do our Program. That is clear from the context
of Maharishi's saying it on his talks, which we hear all the time. It may not
be clear for anyone who do not hear those talks all the time. ]
Ethics,
Later on MMY counseled a type of self discipline.. to be happy and "mind your
own business" towards being regular practicing meditators and ‘on the program’
as a basis for behavior. This instruction would be a spiritual working ethic
maybe different from social cultural ethic like the Golden Rule, that Golden
Rule kindness seems overtly more to do with effects of behavior on subtle
psycho-spiritual light-bodies of people than object outcomes.
What is unconscionable, in TM? "Thou shalt not.."
Anything particularly unconscionable, hurtful, in the community of TM?
wrote:
The Transcendentalists’
Morality..
In the ™ movement we were told some little details about Maharishi’s teacher
Guru Dev, Swami Brahmananda Saraswati. About how Maharishi first met SBS and
also about how Guru Dev found his own teacher. On advanced training residential
courses with Maharishi back in the 1970’s for those of us who were TM teachers
there was a typed one page translated discourse of Swami Brahmananda Saraswati,
of Guru Dev’s that was let to be passed around. This was the talk warning of
the selling of life for the price of spinach. An advice that held intrinsic
value that was important clarification, like a moral wake up, for people in TM
then.
Discourse 59
“After experiencing 8,400,000 births, we have obtained this rare human body;
don't waste it. Each and every moment of life is very valuable. And if you
don't understand its value? Then you will have nothing else to do but weep, and
you will have nothing in your hands in the end.
You are a human being, therefore you have the power to discriminate what is
good and what is bad, and you can accomplish the greatest human goals. Don't
think of yourself as weak or fallen. Whatever has happened in the past,
understand that it was done unknowingly. But now be careful, begin doing the
type of acts appropriate for a human being. Discern for yourself what is good
and what is bad. Adopt the good and reject the bad.
As a human being, if you don't know Paramàtmà (the Transcendent), then
understand that you have sold a diamond for the price of spinach. One does not
worship Paramàtmà for the sake of Paramàtmà. One worships Paramàtmà to remove
one's own sorrow, lack of peace, ignorance, and lack of power. Paramàtmà is all
knowing, omnipotent, and full of limitless bliss. Through worship, one can
grasp on to his unending power. The fulfillment of this superb act is the real
purpose of human life. If there is no effort made toward this, then understand
that you have cheated yourself.”
http://www.lulu.com/shop/lb-shriver-and-translation-by-cynthia-ann-humes/the-sweet-teachings-of-the-blessed-sankaracarya-swami-brahmananda-saraswati/paperback/product-21350609.html
http://www.lulu.com/shop/lb-shriver-and-translation-by-cynthia-ann-humes/the-sweet-teachings-of-the-blessed-sankaracarya-swami-brahmananda-saraswati/paperback/product-21350609.html
Evidently there is a behavioral axis between self-interest and altruism..
and maybe not strictly related to 'consciousness', as we have seen.
A hardwired morality of self-interest v Altruism..
In a core worldview that life is nakedly a selfish struggle for money and
dominance the great act of moral decoupling woven through this in this
worldview, morality has nothing to do with anything. Altruism, trust,
cooperation and virtue are unaffordable luxuries in the struggle of all against
all. Everything is about self-interest.
Powerful, selfish people have always adopted this dirty-minded realism to
justify their own selfishness. The problem is that this philosophy is based on
an error about human beings and it leads to self-destructive behavior in all
cases.
The error is that it misunderstands what drives human action. Of course people
are driven by selfish motivations — for individual status, wealth and power.
But they are also motivated by another set of drives — for solidarity, love and
moral fulfillment — that are equally and sometimes more powerful.
People are wired to cooperate. Far from being a flimsy thing, the desire for
cooperation is the primary human evolutionary advantage we have over the other
animals.
People have a moral sense. They have a set of universal intuitions that help
establish harmony between peoples. From their first moments, children are wired
to feel each other’s pain. You don’t have to teach a child about what fairness
is; they already know. There’s no society on earth where people are admired for
running away in battle or for lying to their friends.
Paraphrase, -David Brooks, NYTimes
wrote:
MMY would tell us simply, ‘never do that which you know to be wrong’. In
behavior by spiritual standard of what enhances or is withering to spiritual
progress, certainly in life as we live it this would seem to say, in the
pursuit of happiness 'repent those sinful ways' that are hurtful to and against
spiritual progress in your own life or in the lives of others. 'Repent! Right
now, make haste!'
From e-mail:
If one looks at all the criticism of the Mvmt over the years, most of it boils
down to lack of 'development of the vertical at the expense of the horizontal.'
That is a cerebral way to put it, development of consciousness at the expense
of relationships, including ethics and mgmt, most of the rest boils down to the
need for more professional training in the area concerned.
™’ers are not more moral or ethical.
We can't become a religion or ethical society by talking about ethics. That
would not work for the Mvmt. We are here to teach transcending. But we should
talk ethics and morals, esp ethics, among ourselves in the Mvmt. But I focus on
mgmt for the reason I gave.
Evidently ethical behavior may not be correlated with 'development of
consciousness'.. As in TM science research ‘moral reasoning’, morality is
simply reduced and measured in standard testing as ‘quick thinking’ which
apparently is not necessarily the same measure as ethical or compassionate
behavior. Long time meditators or gurus though potentially more ‘aware’
evidently are not necessarily more ethical. Ethical spiritual virtues evidently
are felt in life by the human spiritual body and ethical behavior on a
‘behavioral axis’ it seems is cultivated differently in life by culture.
Spiritually cultivated ethics felt and lived apparently is very much about the
condition of spiritual life in the body
